Cutting apparatus for harvesters



A (Model.)

- VE. s. SNYDBR.

GUTTING APPARATUS FOR HARVESTERS- Y A No. 283,292. Patented Aug. 14, 1883.

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" UNITED STATES l PATENT EEICE.

ELIsrIAs. sNYDEE, or sNYDEIrs MILLS, wEsT `vIEGINIA.

TCUTTING APPARATUS FOR HARVESTEES.

`SPECIFICATION forming part of"Letters Patent No. 283,292, dated August 14, 11883. i Application filedA February 21, 1883. (Model.)

To all `whom/,it may concern .f Beit known that I, IELIsIIA` S. SNYDEE, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Sny- I I ders Mills, in the county of J efferson and State y of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cutting Apparatus for Harvesters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings,` Y

` This invention relates to improvements in harvesting-machines; and it consists in certain peculiarities of construction, which will be hereinafter fully described, andpointed out inthe claims. f

`In the drawings forming part of this specication, Figure 1 is a plan View of the finger- A bar, having a part of the top plate removed, and showing the manner of securing the iingers in the bar. Fig.` 2 is a detail of one of theiingers in section. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the finger-bar and a 'finger on vawr of Fig. l. Fig. 4 shows the method of removing the knives. Fig. 5 is a section ony y of Fig. `3; Fig. 6, details of the protectingpoint of the iinger. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the knifebar and bladesplaced in position in the` A finger-bar. Fig."8 is a longitudinal vertical section ofthe knife-bar,4 showing the method of securing the blades by sections on the bar. The iinger-bar is composed of two parts, an upperplate, A', and an under and wider plate, A". These plates are of any width, length, and thicknesssuitable for convenience and strength. `At one end is the shoejB, of the usual construction, permanently secured to the bar, in any suitable manner, between the two plates A' A At the opposite end of the bar is an intermediate piece, B', also securely fastened between the plates A A", the' inner e e 4o edge of which is` beveled to suit the large wedge E, and to this piece B is attached the e joint for the vertical movement-of the bar. e At suitable distances apart are the rivets a a',` placed in pairs across the plates A' A. These rivets may beround or square; but I'prefer the square form to serve as solid bearings for 4the surfaces which `are ,to impinge against them, `as will be hereinafter described. At -1 the end piece, B', of the finger-bar, on the outside,is a springlatch,"b, to hold the key E. In the spaces between the rivets au' are placed the projecting tines c c' c" of the fingers OO', which l are formed of two pieces, and which,whenfastenedtogether, form but one finger. They are madein two parts, that the knife-blades kk' and I the point L may be secured and held between them, and `yet can easily be removed for renewal or sharpening, as will be hereinafter explained. The part C has a stem, C", supplied with projecting tines c c' c", all Vcast in one piece. j Anotherfmethod can be used for the construction of these stems, as seen in Fig. l, M, where the `tines c c'c" are on a separate piece, 0"", and the stem C"` is uniform4 in width, except at 0"', where there is an angular projection, whichis to. Iit into a corresponding notch in the back of O"": I, however, prefer the tines to be cast in one piece with the stem C", in which case there isless metal required and the whole is more simple.

In Fig. 1 is shown the manner of securing the finger-stems intheir places in the bar. Commencing at rthe shoe B, the stem B" of that finger is straight, and enters between the abutment a" of A and the first pair of rivets,

the point of the shoe B, and the shoe and iinger C" are securedtogether. e Next in I order place a iinger, C C', -with the tines c c' c" in theA space between the iirst and second pair of rivets, a a. The tines c' c" will be back of the rivets a a'. Next place a block (lettered D inthe drawings)` back of C'. This block is a A screw, c', is then put in the hole at key, and has a shoulder, d, which rests in front of the rivet a. lThe block D has a notch, d', into which is iitted the end of tine c of the next iinger, which is placed in the second space between the second and third pair of rivets a a', and `back of this nger is placed a second key, D', and thus continuously are placed the ngers and keys until the last one is in, whenthe rectangular keyD' is replaced by awedge, E, which is driven tightly in until the whole set is tightly secured. The

spring-latch b is then turned so as to 'catch into one of the notches in the wedgeE, and prevents its withdrawal. I

The Iinger-stock is constructed of two parts, G C', as before stated, and the drawings Figs. 2 and 4 show these parts. By this construction I am enabled to secure in the nger-stock,

first, the two ledger-blades 7c 7c', which are` turned at right angles, and whose ends are dovetail in shape and similar, and both edges` and turned as may be required, or altogether removed for sharpening, as seen in Fig. 4. These blades 7c k are about one-quarter of an inch wider than the stem on which they rest, so as to get a better hold upon the grain-stalks. The guard part of the finger is just as wide as f the two blades, so that each edge is protected.

In consequence of the use of 'the stationary lblades 7c k in the fingers, against which the grain-stalks rest when the reciprocating knives begin to cut them', I am enabled todispense with over-guard pieces, heretofore used to hold the straw, and which were always in the way in stony or pebbly ground, as small stones and pebbles would get between these guards'and the blades, give much trouble, and cause the gapping of the edge or breaking of the blade. By dispensing with these upper guards, as shown, these stones and pebbles roll oli' be-. tween-'the fingers. At the end of the fingers a metal point is inserted, as shown in Fig. 6. Theshank of it, L, is dovetail shape, andv is sunkinto the body of the guard C', the point of the guard going under the barb l. The point of the finger C also goes under the other barb, Z', when turned on its pivot-screw c, and when the two sections G C are screwed together the point L is securely held in place, and yet in case of injury can easily be removed and another one inserted in its place. The barbs l Z, covering the points of the two parts C C, also brace and clamp the nger at its point.

In Fig. 7 is represented the knife-bar G in its true place in the finger-bar A. Ihave shown three different groups of cutting-bladesviz., I, having two blades; I, having three, and I, having six blades. Heretofore the cuttingblades have been separately fastened to the knife-bar. In this system I use groups of any numberof blades, from two upward, within a practicable number, and I fasten each group or section by one fastening only, so that when any blade in a group is injured or the vgroup becomes dull they can be easily removedl andA reversed, as provided for, or replaced by new ones. These blades, as shown, are made with double cutting-edges, so that they can be reversed in the iield when they are injured or when they become dull. I also have arranged the knife-bar so that it also can be disconnected from the pitman-bar when reversed, so that the rear side with the sharp blades can take the place of the other blades which have become dull from use. rIhe blades are secured in the sections according to the number in the following manner: v

`Gr is the knife-bar, which is dovetailed in cross-section to fit the groove G Ain the fingerbar.A At each end of this knife-bar G is a stop,

g, having the inneredge dovetailed, and a cutting-edge, g', on the front .of one andin rear ofthe other. In section I there are only two blades, J J. In the drawings a strap, i, is used, by which both blades are held down by means f one screw. Instead of the strap t', a large headed screw can be used, when the hole in the blades should be countersunk for the screwhead. The outer edges of these two blades are dovetailed to suit the bevels under the stop g and the interior stop, g, which has also dovetailed edges and a projecting tongue, on each side, which is alsov dovetailed to fit into corresponding notches i-n the edges of the blades, and they also have cutting-blades at each end. In group or section I there are three blades, K K K, similarly formed to .those in I, and secured by a longer strap, i', and with two screws. Said stra-p can be dispensed with, and the two screws will secure the three blades in a similar manner to the other secholes formed one-half in the edge of each blade f and plain holes in the bar'G. Vhen the strap is put over the blades, these pins prevent the longitudinal movement of the blades, and the central screw keeps the strap and all of the blades down upon the bar. blades have beveled edges and notches, to cor. Vrespond with the stops g and g, like the blades in sections I I. rIhese blades N N are placed ont-he bar in the following manner: No.1 is inserted under the dovetailed edge of the stop g. Then, the others are placed side by side, until the sixth one is slid under the dovetailed edge ofthe outer stop, r/. The strap is placed over the blades by inserting the dowel-pins into their corresponding holes, and the cen` tral screw is screwed down, and the whole sereplaced, as may be necessary, thus savingthe time heretofore wasted in the oldvway of un! fastening, which was by cutting the rivets secured in the bar below.

In the old form ofusing only a single blade having only two cutting -edges there is the minimum of length in the cutting-edges. In my improved series of blades, in the same space on the bar I obtain a maximum of length to the utmost practicable extent, as, in the use of six blades, having twelve cutting-edges, there is four times the length of cutting-edge to the singlesblade with two edges only, as seen in dotted lines in Fig. 7. This -is ascertained by actual measurement. Moreover, by thus dividing the work to be performed into six portions it is very evident that shorter blades may be used. As each single blade of the group passes the stationary blades 7c la on the nger in the reciprocation of the knife-bar, that blade The two outside Ioo IZO

293,292 Y y s does as much work as the edge of the single blade of the old form; and, as there are six of these blades in each group, it is evident that the amount of work done by these six must be greatlyV in excess of the work by the single.

blade. While the machine is fm'oving forward in the iield the cutting is more effectuallydone y and with less force required by the team.

`Between, the sections I, I', and I` the stops g g are provided withcutting-blades at each end. By inspecting Fig. 7 it will be observed..

` that these cuttingedges of (/"are in the angles between` adjacent groups of blades, and will thus cut such stocks of straw as may escape the.

other knives.

l. The combination, with the cutter-bar, of the knives provided with notches, and the intermediate `clamps having cutting-points, and provided with beveled `edges to overlap and to receive said knives, and with tongues rit-` ted to the notches,substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of the cutter-bar, the knives, the clamps to lit over the edges of the blades, the clamping straps and screws, substantially as andfor the purpose described.

i 3. The fingers C, having stems Of, provided with the tines c c c, in combination with the finger-stems C', blocks D, and the finger-bar, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4:.V The combination of the nger C and the guard B, united by the pivot-screw e', andboth attached to the bar, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The fingers of a harvester formed in two parts and connected by a pivot-screw, e', at the point, and held in the bar by the tines c c c and block D, substantially as and for the pur posedescribed.

6. The cast-metal plate L, dovetail in form one way, and with barbed ends Z Z', substantially as and for the purpose described.`

7. In a finger-bar for harvesters7 the longitudinally-divided fingers, in combinationwith the ledger-plates constructed as described, and Y inserted between the sections of the ngerstems, and extending beyondthe same laterally, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in, 

